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Potential Postal Rates Changes Could Affect eBay Sellers

Shipping issues are always on the minds of online-auction sellers. I’ve noticed several questions come up on eBay discussion boards about pending changes from the United States Postal Service (USPS). One issue involves dimensional rates in the proposed rate changes, and another involves shipping manifests generated by online-postage systems (SCAN forms). I checked in with the USPS to find out how these changes may affect sellers.

The USPS has proposed new rates that, if approved, would go into effect next Spring. The USPS explains the proposed rates on its website at (http://www.usps.com/ratecase/welcome.htm). The proposal calls for a 3-cent increase in the price of a First-Class stamp and a new “forever stamp” that would be good for any future 1-ounce single-piece First-Class Mail letter, no matter how prices may change beyond 2007. The USPS also proposes to raise Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes to $8.80, regardless of weight, contents or distance traveled, and seeks to make the flat-rate boxes a permanent feature of its product line.